Please Don’t Let Them Die. Keep Your Dreams Alive!

PUSH YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

Our magic student Paul Craven turned us on to the quote above–it struck a chord! I hope it can help move you to take steps to keep your dreams alive! As a teacher, it is my job to inspire and motivate our students. I also learn and listen from the best. Today we listen to the wisdom of writer and “life-hacker” Alan Henry.

He suggests a few good steps to take to keep your dreams alive. Alan says,

“Here are some ways to break out (and by proxy, expand) your comfort zone without going too far:

• 1-Do everyday things differently. Take a different route to work. Try a new restaurant without checking Yelp first. Go vegetarian for a week, or a month. Try a new operating system. Recalibrate your reality. Whether the change you make is large or small, make a change in the way you do things on a day-to-day basis. Look for the perspective that comes from any change; even if it’s negative. Don’t be put off if things don’t work out the way you planned.
• 2-Take your time making decisions. Sometimes slowing down is all it takes to make you uncomfortable—especially if speed and quick thinking are prized in your work or personal life. Slow down, observe what’s going on, take your time to interpret what you see, and then intervene. Sometimes just defending your right to make an educated decision can push you out of your comfort zone. Think, don’t just react.
• 3-Trust yourself and make snap decisions. We’re contradicting ourselves, but there’s a good reason. Just as there are people who thrive on snap decisions, others are more comfortable weighing all of the possible options several times, over and over again. Sometimes making a snap call is in order, just to get things moving. Doing so can help you kickstart your personal projects and teach you to trust your judgement. It’ll also show you there’s fallout to quick decisions as well as slow ones.
• 4-Do it in small steps. It takes a lot of courage to break out of your comfort zone. You get the same benefits whether you go in with both feet as you do if you start slow, so don’t be afraid to start slow. If you’re socially anxious, don’t assume you have to muster the courage to ask your crush on a date right away, just say hello to them and see where you can go from there. Identify your fears, and then face them step by step.”

Read the full article:

http://lifehacker.com/the-science-of-breaking-out-of-your-comfort-zone-and-w-656426705

THE RISK OF TRAVEL:

People tell me all the time that they are “scared to travel overseas these days, with all that is going on in the world!” Too bad for them. They are walking the slow funeral march of the dead and dying dream!

A few weeks ago Eugene, Larry and I left the comfort of our homes, and we are so glad we did! The new adventures we had enriched our lives. We met new friends and reconnected with our community in the UK.

THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR–25 years of Mystery School

Jen Allen took this modern classic shot of us on the tour. Our own “Abbi” road!

THE STRANGEST BAR ON EARTH! 

Here is a photo of us entering the museum – by Paul Kieve

I’m a fan of “Cabinets of Curiosity” also known as “Wonderkammers.” A few months ago I read Viktor Wynd’s book on “oddities and curios.” Last week my longtime friend Paul Kieve took me to Viktor’s “Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History.” Yes, it’s a very strange place.

http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/museum-curiosities

THE OLD VIC THEATER

Eugene and I “trod the boards” at one of the grand old theaters in London. The “Old Vic” has a new Variety Nights show. Our friend Paul Kieve created an opportunity for us to weave our magic into the night’s production.

Here we are at the theater.

SPRING TRAINING: Take the leap from the minor league to the Major League!”

Card Magic, Close-Up & Stage 

Parlor Classics

Portable & Grand illusions

3 Unique, 2 Day Classes

May 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 2016

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

*Imagine yourself receiving hands-on instruction by some of the top experts in the world of magic.

*Learn new magic, and the correct practice disciplines that lead to a professional presentation.

*You will learn both basic and advanced techniques, suited to your skill level, and how to make your magic entertaining and play BIG in large venues.

But even more…

We will explore the hidden MEANING of these magic effects, why they are memorable and how they can touch the souls of the audience.

We will explore the symbolism, mystery and metaphors of each of these classics of magic.

COME FOR 1 SESSION OR GET A DISCOUNT IF YOU ATTEND ALL 3!

At all 3 events, we will have Greg Gleason as our guest teacher! Read more here!

http://www.magicalwisdom.com/events#499

Vegas WONDERGROUND NEWS!

March 17TH  is our next WONDERGROUND. Doors will open at 7:30pm at The Olive, located at 3850 East Sunset Rd., Las Vegas, NV. There is a $20 admission. Only $10 for locals. The best deal in Vegas!

The Early Stage show begins at 8:00 pm. The Close-Up show starts at 9:00 pm. The Late Stage show begins promptly at 10:00pm. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to ensure seating for the shows. 

Photo montage by Sebastian Navarro

We will have a new look and feel to the parlor and close up magic this month…come in and see!

MARCH 17, 2016 Schedule

8PM       Host – Tim Wise

Michael Mirth – Classic Enchantments

Ariann Black – A Sophisticated Sorceress

Clyde McBride – Direct from Ireland

9PM     Host – Christian Diamond

Ariann Black – Beautiful Deceptions

Steelfyre – The Enigmatist

Jeff McBride – With an “eye-opener!”

Peter Woerde – The Grifter

Lion Fludd – Mind-Blowing Mysteries

10PM    Jeff McBride MC

Kevin Hall – The Halls of magic

Xavier Mortimer – A Musical Magical Interlude

Circe – Scintillating, sensual amazement

Clyde McBride – He’s back again!

PLUS: Bar Magic with Zack Pattee and Scott Steelfyre, Iam Creed, and Randilyn. Photography with Sheryl Garrett. The NWR-Tribal Belly Dance Troupe, Psychic Sideshow with Alan Scott, live art with Areeya and Suzanne and many more surprises and special celebrity guests!!

www.vegaswonderground.com

See you on the road or at a class in Vegas!

Magically yours,

Jeff McBride

Music, Breath, Love & Magic

It seems that the human race has lost a great deal of the ancient science of magic, but if there remains any magic, it is music.  Music, beside power, is intoxication. When it intoxicates those who hear, how much it must intoxicate those who play or sing themselves! And how much more must it intoxicate those who have touched the perfection of music and have meditated on it for years and years. It gives them an even greater joy and exaltation than a king feels sitting on his throne.

– Hazrat Inayat Khan

Today, our Museletter comes to us from Abigail McBride.

Greetings Magical Friends,

Abigail here, taking a break from practicing my music, and writing from the House of Mystery in Las Vegas. I would like to invite you, right here and right now, to slow down for a moment, to give yourself the gift of a deep, gentle breath, and pause for a moment in your day.

So often, we are rushing from one moment to the next, pursuing our dreams and fulfilling our responsibilities, so caught up in the “Oh, and then, I gotta remember to…” that we nearly miss the moments we are actually in.

So, here, then, is a gentle reminder, a whisper across the pixels and through the web, for you to simply breathe for a moment or two, and come back to this moment, with all the gifts and lessons it has to offer.

I’ve heard it said that the breath is a metaphor, and how we breathe reflects a great deal of how we live, how much we really allow ourselves to receive and to release in any given moment.

The other day, I was reading an article that suggested we “drink air,” meaning that we sip in all the air we can with each inhalation, learning to completely use all of our lungs, and noticing the effect that more air moving into and out of our bodies has on us, as a whole.

In the same article, I read the suggestion to “breathe water,” meaning to keep a glass of water nearby, and to sip on it throughout the day, maintaining our hydration and keeping ourselves “in the flow.”

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.”

-Anonymous

I am deeply fortunate to have such a wonderful man to practice growing in love with. This August will mark 15 years that we’ve been married, and we continue to deepen and grow more in love each day. Saying “I do,” to him was one of the best choices I’ve ever made; one I am grateful for, every day.

I continue to deepen into my various practices, of music, meditation, and dance. I am also putting more energy into giving and receiving appreciation, tuning into gratitude, and becoming ever more mindful of the simple things, like eating, drinking water, walking and breathing.

May it be so, for you, too.

Your friend in magic,

Abigail